


Kindness. Calmness.

by captainhurricane



Series: peace for the dragon souls [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 15:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3072980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainhurricane/pseuds/captainhurricane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iron Bull and Cole have a moment during a party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kindness. Calmness.

"Blank slate," murmurs Cole, thin, pale lips twitching into something quite like a smile. Almost there. One day he will smile for real but it’s hard to get there. He isn’t wearing his hat. 

"Mm mm," comes the answer from where Iron Bull is sitting (the Iron Bull, thank you very much), having settled his huge body seemingly quite comfortably on top of the stairs. There is a tankard next to him full of something dark and frothy. He scratches his bare chest, uncaring of the cold breeze wheezing through Skyhold and rattling the tavern’s windows. Maryden sings downstairs, something calming and kind, her voice a wave of warmth. 

"Calmness, kindness. Bull, the Iron Bull. You are surrounded by such," Cole says and comes closer, his footsteps silent like a cat’s. He crouches next to Bull, ghostly fingers settled on his knees. Bull chuckles, his laughter rumbling like the coming of thunder in his chest. He turns to look at the boy, the man. (the human). 

"I’ve never said it before, boy, but-" Bull burps, takes a long sip of his drink. Cole knows the smell, knows how it burns going down his throat. He didn’t much enjoy it. 

"You’re a good, you’re- dammit." Bull reaches and offers his hand, Cole takes it carefully. His hands, his long, white fingers look tiny and slender in Bull’s large hand. 

"I don’t understand," Cole says and frowns. 

"I’m going to hug you. If that’s- alright with you, kid," Bull says, almost forgets to push his tankard away from them before it’s pushed down the stairs. (Maryden sings of joy, the strings of her instrument familiar and beautiful as ever. In front of her, the Inquisitor is leading another into a dance). 

"Oh," says Cole and lets himself be pulled into a hug, is even the first to open his arms- (hadn’t he been embraced before, hadn’t he known already how nice it is; Varric is so tiny but his arms had been strong, the Inquisitor is powerful and their soul brighter than anything but their hugs are connecting Cole better into the present moment). It’s brief, Bull’s hands are steady and impossibly warm.  
"Oh," says Cole again. Bull huffs.

"Your laughter sounds like thunder," murmurs Cole and there it is, a careful tiny smile that leaves his big blue eyes twinkling. 

"It does, doesn’t it?" laughs Bull, loud and boisterous and somewhere downstairs his Chargers start to sing, their voices a pleasant murmur. 

"You thought me scary," Cole says as he withdraws from the hug but stays close, like looking for comfort in Bull’s large and warm presence. (Sometimes Cole dreams of the Cole that was and takes comfort in knowing that he is not the same as the Cole that is) Bull smiles ruefully and takes a swig. 

"My world has been shaken thoroughly after I joined up," Bull says, leans down and sees a peek of the Inquisitor’s grin, now dancing with Krem who’s behaving like a perfect gentleman. 

"Balance. Both light, both darkness. We feel balanced. We are needed," comes Cole’s soft murmur. 

"Exactly," says Bull and reaches again, but this time ruffles Cole’s hair. Cole doesn’t mind, even leans a little closer. 

"And I guess I mean I’m- I’m sorry. You’re a good man, Cole." Bull isn’t watching Cole and instead is struggling to get up. But his words ring true and Cole smiles, cheeks flushing with delight.


End file.
